The otoscope is utilized by medical practitioners to examine a patient's ear canal and eardrum. In addition to examination procedures, medical practitioners use the otoscope as a visual aid when removing excessive ear wax or retrieving foreign objects lodged in a patient's ear canal. Standard otoscopes enable the medical practitioner to move the lens relative to the otoscope housing so that a thin probe can be inserted through the speculum to remove the obstruction. However, moving a lens off axis inherently hinders visibility, and the presence of a probe within the speculum further compromises the field of view. Clearly, a lack of direct visual observation during the procedure increases the risk of injury to the tissue of the ear canal and to the eardrum. The risk is further increased when examining and treating small children who are likely to become fearful and move about during the examination.
In addition to removing obstructions from the ear canal, medical practitioners employ the otoscope to diagnose and treat bacterial infections of the middle ear. Such an infection can be observed as a reddening and outward bulging of the eardrum associated with extensive fluid retention in the middle ear. It is often necessary for the medical practitioner to make a small incision in the eardrum, thus allowing the middle ear fluid to drain into the ear canal. Using a standard ear speculum, this procedure is made difficult due to limited visibility upon insertion of a needle through the speculum. Furthermore, the lack of a controlled needle insertion distance risks damage to middle ear structures. Due to the delicate nature of this procedure, a general anesthetic may even be required.
In treating acute infections of the middle ear, an antibiotic is often prescribed. Typically, the antibiotic mused has broad characteristics enabling the treatment of a wide variety of bacterial infections. However, due to the increasing emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, it is advantageous for the medical practitioner to be able to administer an antibiotic specific to the patient's particular bacterial infection. In order to select the appropriate antibiotic, the medical practitioner must obtain a sample of middle ear fluid to be submitted for culture. Once again, this procedure is complicated by the use of probes in connection with the standard ear speculum and furthermore by the lack of an effective sampling device.
Typical otoscopes, in which instruments designed to remove obstructions from the ear canal are inserted directly through the ear speculum, are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,775,140 to Platou and U.S. Pat. No. 3,020,912 to Chester. Such an otoscope wherein a sampling needle can be inserted through the speculum is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,886 to Juhn. U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,663 to Schaefer discloses an ear speculum provided with a protrusion external to the speculum having a free end which is articulated in response to the movement of tensioning filaments. However, the invention of Schaefer is limited in that the free end of the protrusion functions only to cup ear wax or foreign objects against the protrusion.